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Hepatitis A Virus

Hepatitis A Virus

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Hepatitis A
– Outbreaks have been associated with consumption of contaminated shellfish.
  • Rapid Onset
  • Infection is common
  • Usually benign, especially in children
  • Adults are more likely to experience acute iteric hepatitis (iteric means they show signs of jaundice).
  • Fulminant hepatitis, which involves the nervous system, is rare.
  • Histopathology:
– Monocyte infiltration – Councilman Bodies (eosinophilic, shrunken cells) – Ballooning degenerating cells
  • Serological Values:
– Acute, active infection = anti-HAV IgM – Previous infection = anti-HAV IgG
  • Vaccines can prevent Hepatitis A infection.
  • Infection is usually self-limiting, so supportive care is sufficient.
  • Patients who recover benefit from life-long immunity due to IgG antibodies.
Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Hepatitis D Hepatitis E
References
Cullen, John M., and Stanley M. Lemon. “Comparative Pathology of Hepatitis A Virus and Hepatitis E Virus Infection.” Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, April 30, 2018, a033456. https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a033456.
“Hepatic Pathology.” Accessed August 30, 2018. https://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/LIVEHTML/LIVER036.html. “Hepatitis A Virus Infection in Adults: Epidemiology, Clinical Manifestations, and Diagnosis - UpToDate.” Accessed August 30, 2018. https://www-uptodate-com.proxy.medlib.uits.iu.edu/contents/hepatitis-a-virus-infection-in-adults-epidemiology-clinical-manifestations-and-diagnosis?search=hepatitis%20a&source=search_result&selectedTitle=1~150&usage_type=default&display_rank=1.
Kasper, Dennis L., Stephen Hauser L., Larry Jameson J., Anthony S. Fauci, Dan Longo L., and Joseph Loscalzo. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 19th ed. McGraw-Hill Education, 2015.
Kryger, P, and P Christoffersen. “Liver Histopathology of the Hepatitis A Virus Infection: A Comparison with Hepatitis Type B and Non-a, Non-B.” Journal of Clinical Pathology 36, no. 6 (June 1983): 650–54.
Levinson, W. Review of Medical Microbiology & Immunology. 14th ed. McGraw-Hill Education, 2016.
“WHO | What Is Hepatitis?” WHO. Accessed August 29, 2018. http://www.who.int/features/qa/76/en/.
Nephron. English: High Magnification Micrograph of Ballooning Degeneration of Hepatocytes in Steatohepatitis.  Liver Biopsy. Trichrome Stain. [object HTMLTableCellElement]. Own work. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ballooning_degeneration_high_mag.jpg. “Public Domain Picture | Under a Low Magnification of 100X, This Hematoxylin-Eosin-Stained (H&E) Photomicrograph Depicts the Cytoarchitectural Changes Found in a Liv | ID: 13544921412742 | PublicDomainFiles.Com.” Accessed August 30, 2018. http://www.publicdomainfiles.com/show_file.php?id=13544921412742.